KATIE MCCABE INSISTS she is fully focused on Arsenal and regaining her starting position after an eventful few weeks and frustration for the Republic of Ireland captain.
McCabe was linked with a big-money move to title rivals Chelsea ahead of deadline day in January, and has been left out of the Gunners’ starting XI for several games.
At the time, Gunners manager Jonas Eidevall insisted that he and the 27-year-old star had not spoken about the rumour, and Ireland boss Vera Pauw this week suggested that Arsenal took the decision out of McCabe’s hands.
Pauw also spoke about it being a “big hassle” and a “hectic” time for the Dubliner, though stressed it wasn’t a distraction as World Cup preparations ramp up.
McCabe addressed the situation publicly for the first time after Ireland’s 0-0 international friendly draw with China PR in Spain on Wednesday.
“Look, I’m fully… I’m an Arsenal player,” she told the travelling media, diplomatic with her words but cutting a frustrated figure at times.
“It’s always an interesting situation when clubs come in for you but for me, I’m an Arsenal player, I will be an Arsenal player. My contracts not up until I think 2024. For me, it’s just…,” she paused. “For me, I’m just concentrating on what I have to do.”
McCabe, too, stressed that it was not a distraction. Asked what it was like
to be the subject of a reported £250,000 (€284,000) bid, she reiterated:
“The reported bid obviously came in but for me I’m an Arsenal player. I’m gonna be an Arsenal player for the remainder of the season as well. My full concentration is on getting back to the club. We obviously face Chelsea in the FA Cup and then the Conti Cup final the following week, so I’ll be fully focused on trying to get back in the team and get playing again.”
A chest infection has reportedly hampered her game time in recent weeks, though she did put in a Player of the Match performance against Manchester City in the Conti Cup semi-final, which Arsenal won 1-0 after extra-time. She knows she needs regular minutes as she prepares to lead her country to their first-ever major tournament this summer.
“Absolutely,” she agreed, “and that’s what I’ll be pushing towards — being more present within the Arsenal team.
“Of course it’s frustrating, maybe not playing as much as you want to, but we’ve got a really top-quality side with Arsenal. You need to be on your ‘A’ game every single week, every single training session. That will push me even further, that will challenge me, but I’m ready for the challenge and I’m ready to fight.”
The Irish skipper hailed the newcomers to the set-up as Pauw’s approach in searching out non-Irish born players intensifies. Aoife Mannion, Marissa Sheva and Deborah-Anne De La Harpe all made their debuts against China, with at least one more new face expected to join the fold for the April double-header against USA.
McCabe spoke well on the matter back in 2020, and echoed those sentiments this week.
“They need to show the will and want to be here and wear this shirt, and obviously play for Ireland. The girls have come in, they’ve kept their head down, they’ve got working and they’ve showed that. I feel like you can’t take that for granted — getting the opportunity to play for Ireland.
“DA, Aoife and Maz have done terrific and the attitude they’ve shown has shown that, and obviously their performances on the pitch today too. And credit to the rest of the girls, welcoming them in and getting them settled.”
McCabe, who was quieter than usual on her 50th appearance as captain having recovered from a dead leg, added it was a “no-brainer” to wear purple wristbands in solidarity with World Cup group rivals Canada.
Leading us out for the 50th time as Captain ☘️#COYGIG pic.twitter.com/pjRM42MsC3
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) February 22, 2023
She and her team-mates asked Pauw if they could do so, while McCabe also decided to wear a rainbow captain’s armband in Cadiz.
“It’s been obvious around the women’s football world, the support shown for Canada, and for us, we were in a similar position a number of years ago. It’s never nice and I think it’s important… what other nations showed us back then was fantastic and really uplifted us.
“We stand with Canada women’s national team. We want to see them improve their working conditions. Federations, they need to do more to support the women’s national teams and the women’s football side of things. It was a no-brainer for us to come out and support them.
“I think it’s been a nice touch around the women’s football world to see how much support there is. I hope they continue to keep fighting and they’ve got our support.”
She vowed to keep addressing these issues and off-field matters, particularly in this World Cup year.
“We’ve got a platform now that there’s a lot more eyes on us, whether that’s with club football or on the international stage. I think it would be silly for us not to use that platform to the best of our abilities, speaking and voicing in areas we can – I’m obviously wearing the rainbow armband today, because it’s important.
“Especially when RTÉ are covering games and young girls, young boys are watching the game back home, they see it’s okay. You know what I mean? It’s important for us to use our platform and we will continue to do that in the best way possible.”
